The Dying Flame
by vampoof94
Summary: Something is wrong with Riza lately. There is a war raging in Ishval again. What could that have to do with Riza, and can Roy find out before it's too late? Royai Please R&R :D
1. Anger Problems?

"Roy you really do need to do something about Riza. I think she is going to kill someone one of these days." Roy ignored Maes and spun around in his chair laughing like an idiot.

"Roy! I'm being serious here!"

"She is not going to hurt anybody Hughes. Just relax."

"She almost killed you yesterday! How can you act like everything is normal?"

"It happens Hughes. She is just keeping us in check."

"You're losing it my friend. Just make her take the class."

"No. She will kill me then."

"Exactly! She needs help if she is going to hurt us!" Roy sighed and waved Maes away.

"I'll be back Roy!" Just as Maes was walking out, Riza walked in. Maes jumped and took off out the door.

"Sir?"

"Yes Hawkeye?"

"I have those files you wanted."

"Just set them on the desk. I need to use the bathroom." She put the papers down and sat at her desk. The others were starting to slowly trickle in. Havoc ran inside when Riza was by the door. When he opened the door fast, it hit her right in the face. She fell to the floor and all of the other men were frozen.

"I'm sorry Hawkeye! Please don't kill me! I have a date tonight!" Riza got up and Havoc took a step backwards. She had a death glare on her face. He turned and sprinted off down the hallway. Riza followed him. Breda looked at Feury.

"I bet she is going to torture him."

"But I don't like betting."

"Well you are now!" Breda laughed like an idiot, and pulled a doughnut out of his pocket, and started eating it. Meanwhile Roy was talking to Maes again.

"Hughes, I just don't see why you think she needs anger management classes."

"She always wants to shoot someone."

"Only because no one listens to her."

"Did you go off the deep end?"

"No…I don't want her to change who she is."

"Well…is that Havoc?" Maes pointed down the hall. Havoc was running straight towards them, and he was crying.

"Help me, Hawkeye is going to murder me! I have a date tonight too!" Riza turned around the corner and was catching up to him fast.

"Havoc! Get back here now!" Roy sighed. It looks like the odds are not in his favor today.

'_I tried so hard to keep you out of those classes, but I don't have another choice Hawkeye.'_ Havoc ran past them, and just as Riza was passing, Roy stuck his arm out and caught her.

"Let me go!"

"Hawkeye! You cant kill him!" Havoc slowly walked back to them. He tried to keep his distance from Riza though.

"Hey Riza what did he do?" Maes asked innocently.

"Hit me in the face with a door!" Havoc cringed back.

"I said I was sorry."

"I'm going to kill you!" Roy held her tighter.

"Hawkeye, no." Roy had said it in a firm voice, which meant she could not argue.

"Yes sir." Havoc sighed in relief. He was going to live to see his date tonight. Roy released Riza. She turned on her heel and started walking back to the office like nothing happened.

'_I feel horrible._' She thought sadly. Roy watched her until she turned the corner. When she was gone, he turned to Havoc.

"Why did you hit her with a door?"

"It was an accident."

"Well she is upset now thanks to you." Maes looked at Roy now.

"What did I tell…"

"One class!" He walked away leaving the two stunned soldiers. Roy found Riza leaning against a wall.

'_So she didn't go to the office yet_.' He walked over to her.

"Hawkeye."

"Sir?"

"You okay? I mean from Havoc hitting you." She slowly nodded her head. She never once lifted her head to acknowledge him. That was not like her at all.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes sir."

"I don't believe you." She lifted her head. He was staring intently at her. His eyes were locked on her face.

"Sir.."

"Hawkeye, if something is bothering you, let me know." She tried to look away, but he put a hand on her face. He made it clear that she was not to look away.

"Everything is fine sir." He sighed. This was going nowhere.

"Hawkeye…"

"Sir?"

"Hughes wants me to have you take classes for your…anger."

"I don't have anger problems."

"Hey I tried to tell him no, but then you tried to kill Havoc. I told him only one class."

"Sir…I don't want to be in a room full of nut jobs."

"I don't want you to go either. I'm only making you take one class no more, just to shut Hughes up." She sighed.

"Only once?"

"Only once, I promise."

"Fine." She said angrily. She was going to kill Maes for this.

"Hey, I won't make you go alone though. Edward will join you." He said while laughing. She rolled her eyes. He could defuse any situation.

"Thank you." He looked confused.

'_I am sending her to anger management classes, and she thanks me?_' He leaned his head on her forehead. She looked at him clearly confused.

"I knew something was wrong with you."

"What?"

"You thanked me." She glared at him.

"So are you saying that I never say thank you?"

"No, it's just I'm making you take an anger class and you thanked me."

"That's not why I thanked you sir."

"Then why?"

"Hey guys!" Roy quickly pushed himself away from Riza and looked at Maes. He glared at him.

"Did I interrupt?"

"Of course not Hughes." Maes grinned evilly.

"That's good because the Elrics are here." Hughes ran off. He was a strange man.

"Thank you for being there for me sir." Riza walked off to greet the Elrics. Roy smiled. Meanwhile in the office.

"What do you mean I have to take anger management classes?!"

"Edward calm down."

"Come on Hawkeye! I don't need them!" Riza sighed. She saw Roy walk in. She walked over to him and handed her guns to him.

"Edward, I have to go as well. We can blame Hughes for that." Edward stared at her.

"You're going? Wow Colonel Bastard really is a bastard." Roy decided he wouldn't cause more trouble by messing with Ed.

"It wasn't his idea, like I said."

'_Why is she defending me?_' Roy thought. Havoc walked into the room.

"Hey Hawkeye."

"Hello Havoc."

"Are you still angry?"

"No it was an accident after all." Havoc laughed.

'_The Colonel did his job, and cooled her off_.' He picked up his car keys and waited by the door.

"I'm driving you guys." She nodded.

"Come on Edward." Ed stood his ground and refused to move. Riza walked out of the room. She wasn't going to get angry over something so stupid. She passed Maes in the hall. Maes walked into the office. Ed was glaring at him now.

"What's up with Hawkeye today?" Roy shrugged his shoulders. He had no idea.

"Elric get going now." Ed still refused to move. Roy sighed. This was going to get difficult. Just then a wrench flew through the door and hit Ed. He collapsed to the ground. Winry walked in followed by Riza.

"Edward Elric! You listen to him now!"

"But Winry, I don't want to go!"

"I don't care!"

"Fine!" Ed got up and stomped out the door. Havoc laughed and followed him. Riza glanced at the people in the room. Roy caught her eye and she quickly looked away. She didn't want things to get harder than they already were. She turned and walked out the door. Everyone looked at Roy. They were all wondering the same thing. What was wrong with Riza? Riza sat in the passenger seat looking out the window. Havoc kept looking at her every so often. Edward was in the back pouting. When they arrived at the class, they saw people sitting in a circle. Riza and Edward sighed in unison.

"Well I'll be in the car waiting for you guys. Have fun!" They both glared at Havoc and he ran out the door. They sat down next to each other. On Riza's right side sat a man with tattoos all over his body. She tried to sit as far away as possible. Ed sat by a girl. She was playing with a nail file. He scooted away from her. He and Riza sat shoulder to shoulder now.

"Hey Hawkeye…can we kill Hughes after this?"

"You can." He looked at her. Something was up.

"What is wrong with you today?"

"Nothing."

"Well you seem different."

"I have to…." Riza didn't get to finish because the leader of this stupid meeting walked in. He sat down and looked around the room.

"Hello everyone. My name is John." The people around them started muttering hello. Some just sat there with angry faces.

"Who would like to start this party?" No one raised their hand. John closed his eyes to pick someone.

"He is crazy." Riza looked at Ed with a look that said shut up. John walked over to Riza. She silently cursed to herself. He had chosen her to start the meeting.


	2. A New Beginning

**AN: Sorry guys but this is a shorter chapter. I have been really busy with finals and just got the chance to update. I hope you like this chapter. :D Leave reviews haha. XD**

Riza looked up at John, who was grinning, and sighed. She really didn't feel like doing this.

"So miss..?"

"Hawkeye. My name is Hawkeye."

"Well miss Hawkeye, please tell the others why you are here." She rolled her eyes, something john wrote down.

"I'm here because my boss told me I needed to come."

"You must have a great and caring boss."

"Sometimes." John kept taking notes on everything she said and did. Ed looked bored.

"Why are you so angry?"

"It is none of your business to know my feelings. I do not know you and don't care to know you. I have been through a war and still have to deal with death. I'm leaving this stupid meeting now." Riza stood up and walked out the door leaving everyone baffled except for Ed, who was laughing. John looked around the room. Everyone was leaving now.

'_Why must there always be one person who disrupts my class?_' He sighed. Ed ran out to the car where Havoc was reading a book.

"Hey Smokey." Havoc looked up surprised to see Ed.

"Is it already over?"

"Yep, Hawkeye finished it."

"Where is she?"

"Not sure." They both sighed and headed back to HQ. Roy was going to be extremely angry when they told him Riza was gone. They entered the building and prayed it wouldn't go too bad.

"Sir?"

"Havoc, you're back early."

"Yeah, well you see…Hawkeye ended the class." Roy smacked his hand against his forehead and sighed.

"Where is she?"

"We don't know."

"What did she do?"

"Well said why she was there and walked out I guess."

"This is just great!" Havoc took a step away from Roy. Ed went over by Al. Roy had his eyes closed as if he was deep in thought.

"Sir?"

"Havoc I want you to find her because another war has erupted in Ishval."

"Yes sir!" He turned and ran out the door to start his search.

'_I can't let Riza find out on her own. There is no telling how she would react_.' Roy looked out his window.

…**...**

Riza sat in a dark alley. She had her head in her hands and tears were slowly falling. She didn't want to leave. Who would take care of Roy? Who would keep the office in order? What if she never returned?

'_I can't believe this! Why do I have to leave?_' She rose to her feet and wiped the tears away. It was time to talk to Roy. She knew all the others would be gone for the day and he would be working on paperwork. Riza sighed and headed to HQ.

…**...**

"Why is there so much paperwork!?" Roy was working furiously. He still had not heard from Hawkeye and it was driving him insane. Just when he threw his pen he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in." Riza walked in with her head to the ground. He got up and walked over to her.

'_She was crying._' He put a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him.

"What happened Hawkeye?"

"Sir…we need to talk." He led her to the couch and sat down.

"Go ahead Hawkeye."

"Have you heard about Ishval sir?"

"Yes. Another war has started." She nodded her head.

"Yes." She played with her hands for a minute and spoke her next words softly. "I'm being sent out there to fight. I have to lead the snipers." Roy felt his breath hitch and he stop moving.

"You're…leaving?"

"Yes sir. I'm being sent out tomorrow." Roy clenched his fists.

"Why are you only telling me now? Why didn't someone tell me?"

"I didn't know how to tell you sir." He looked at her and saw tears that were threatening to fall. He pulled her close to him and pressed his lips to her head. She let the tears fall and pressed her face into his neck while crying silently. Roy just held her because this might be the last time he will ever see her. That night they slept on that couch wrapped in each others arms.

…**...**

The next morning Roy woke up and realized Riza was gone. He quickly got up and ran out the door. He yelled for his team to follow him. He had to explain the situation to them still. They ran to the train station and saw Riza leaning against the train. Her eyes were closed.

"Hawkeye!" She snapped her head up and looked at everyone. She smiled at her team and walked over to them.

"Were you going to leave without telling me?"

"Of course not. Why else would I be leaning against the train?" He smiled and pulled her in for a tight hug. He whispered in her ear so no one else could hear him.

"Please come back to me Riza." She held him tighter and whispered in his ear.

"I promise Roy. Please keep up with your paperwork." He chuckled in her ear. The train blew its whistle and they sighed. She had to go.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye." He saluted her.

"Colonel Mustang." She gave him her best salute and went to board the train. She waved to them from her window and she saw her team crying. Roy held his tears back, but she knew they would fall that night as would hers.


	3. The Scary Leader Arrives

**AN: I finally got it up! Sorry guys but I have had writers block lately. I'm going to try my best to finish this and my others as soon as I can. **

Riza was sitting on the train staring out the window. She had been on the train for about two hours. Everyone around her was talking and laughing about different ways to fight against the Isvalens. Riza didn't want to talk to anybody. She was the only one on the train that had been in the war before. After about an hour the train stopped and everyone got off. As soon as Riza stepped off the train, the intense heat of the Ishvalen desert hit her. She adjusted the collar of her jacket so she could breathe easier.

'_I almost forgot about how intense the weather was here._' The days were hot and the nights were cold. She had never enjoyed being here. Riza followed the other soldiers. They got on a truck that would be taking them to their camp. She sat on the truck with her head held high and sat with perfect posture. The people around her were all men and they sat slouched and chatting amongst themselves. No one paid any attention to Riza. They reached the camp and Riza stepped off. She went looking for General Haruko. He had wanted to see her as soon as she arrived. A soldier approached her and saluted.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye?"

"Yes. At ease soldier." He let his arm fall.

"General Haruko sent me to bring you to his tent." Riza fell into step behind the young soldier. The walk was quiet and she could tell that he was nervous. Riza decided to bring up a conversation so he knew she was no monster.

"What is your name private?"

"I'm Jake sir."

"How long have you been here?"

"It's been about two months now. I'm one of the snipers around here." He looked down at the ground and kicked some sand. "I have always looked up to you sir. Your shooting skills are a legend around here. When we heard that you would be leading us, well we have been trying to improve our own skills." They reached the General's tent and Jake held the tent flap open so Riza could walk in. She saluted as soon as she entered. General Haruko turned to her and grinned.

"At ease Lieutenant. We have business to get down to." She put her hands behind her back and clasped her hands together. "Now you know that you will be leading the snipers here correct?"

"Yes sir."

"Well I have another bit of information for you." He walked up to her and handed her a small box. She took it and opened it. "I'm promoting you to a Captain now. You will be a leader now Captain Hawkeye. Lead your men to victory." She saluted and walked out to see Jake still waiting for her. He gave a quick salute and smiled.

"Captain Hawkeye, I will show your around camp and take you to your tent. After we finish that, I can show you to the others." Riza was starting to like this guy. At least she wasn't going to be all alone out in this harsh desert. She let out a quiet sigh.

'_I wonder how the team is doing. I hope they can get by without me._'

"Captain?" Riza looked up to she Jake waving a hand in her face. She blinked a couple times. She realized that she had stopped walking at some point in her thoughts.

"Sorry." She started walking and Jake shrugged his shoulders. He showed her the mess hall, infirmary, and where to go to the bathroom. He cracked some jokes in little attempts to make her laugh or smile. She did neither. He sighed and took her to her tent. She would be sharing it with another person. The girl she was sharing it with had not arrived yet. She put her things away on her side of the tent and walked out. They walked over to an area that was covered in bullet shells. She could see targets lined up, and she saw men firing their guns. Jake yelled at them and they all turned to see him making a serious face. They snapped into quick, sloppy salutes. Riza looked each and everyone of them over. They cowered under her sharp gaze.

"I am Captain Riza Hawkeye. I will be training each and everyone of you. You will obey every order I give you. You're all soldiers and the first lesson I will give you is how to give a perfect salute." She heard some men groan and glared at the men. They shut up and looked back at her. Jake had a slight smirk on his face as Riza stepped forward.

"Jake wipe that smirk off your face before I do." He frowned and some men stifled laughter. She could see that these men were not very different than the ones she was usually surrounded by. She stopped in front of one of the men and looked him in the eye. "Give me a salute and stop laughing. Out there on the battlefield it is life and death. Your enemies will crush you if you think that you can win in this state." She stepped back and watched everyone salute. She sighed. They still couldn't get it right. She forced them to work on their salutes well through the afternoon. Some men had gotten it down, but some just didn't seem to take it seriously. One man quit altogether. He crossed his arms and refused to do it.

"I'm tired of this. Nobody cares about a salute." Riza got up in his face and the other men backed up too scared to back him up.

"Fifty push ups now." He glared at her but got down and started to do push ups. Riza counted out loud. After he did thirty she put a foot on his back. He gave her a death glare, but she fired one right back at him. He gritted his teeth and got back to his push ups. He finished and she dismissed them for the day. They had to come back at the crack of dawn to work on their skills. "What is your name?" She kept the guy who had disobeyed her.

"Tom."

"Well Tom, you had better shape up if you want to live through this war. I will not go easy on any of you."

"Yes sir." He was dismissed and walked off to the mess hall. Riza decided to stop at her tent before going to the mess hall. She wanted to write a letter to her team. She sat down on her bunk and started writing.

_Colonel, _

_I have arrived in Ishval. The weather is just like I remembered. It's harsh. I met a guy that seems to be kind. All of the men that I will be leading remind me a lot of everyone back home. They like to joke quite a lot. I cracked the whip on them already. I know you told me not to torture them on the first day, but they got on my nerves. General Haruko has promoted me to a Captain. I didn't want it, but he really didn't leave room for an argument. I should get going. I'm heading down to the mess hall soon. Please take good care of Hayate for me. I will write again soon. _

_- Captain Riza Hawkeye-_

_P.S. If I come back to an office overflowing in paperwork, I will not be happy. _

Riza sealed the letter in an envelope and closed her eyes. Tears from earlier had started flowing as she wrote the letter. She heard footsteps outside her tent and wiped the tears away.

"Captain. It's me Jake. I came to walk with you to the mess hall. I hear that it's sloppy joe night." Riza gave a silent laugh and smiled. Yes Jake was a kind guy. She walked out of the tent with her normal stoic face and they went to the mess hall.


	4. Keep Safe

**AN: Well I'm really really sorry about it being months without an update. I kind of lost all hope for the story, BUT I think I got it back. I'm also really excited for Royai day! I will finish this story no matter what! I hope this was a good chapter.**

It had been two weeks since Riza left for Ishval. Roy sat in his desk while staring at the doors. He had been waiting for a letter or some kind of information on how his Lieutenant was doing. So far he had heard nothing and it was making him anxious. All of his men were worried about Riza. She was the one who kept the office in order.

'_I hope you're okay Hawkeye._' Roy sat thinking to himself as his team slowly entered the office. They had all been trying to get the paper work done on time, but it isn't as easy as Riza made it look. They now felt terrible about giving her a hard time. She worked hard to finish things.

"Colonel you got mail."

"From?"

"Hawkeye sir."

Roy quickly jumped out of his seat and took the letter out of Havoc's hand. Roy read the letter at least three times before turning to the others. "Well looks like Hawkeye is a Captain now and she wants to return to a clean office." Roy handed the letter to the team so that they could read for themselves.

"So she wrote this two weeks ago? Why does the mail take so long?" Breda asked.

"The mail delivery just sucks." Roy said as he turned and walked back to his desk.

"Are we writing back to her sir?" Fuery asked as he held the letter.

"Of course. Havoc start the letter and pass it around. We're all going to say something."

"Yes sir." Havoc said. He pulled out a piece of paper and started writing.

_Hey Hawkeye. We're glad to hear that you're okay. The office feels different when you're gone...I guess it's cause your not here to stop me from smoking. We all hope that you'll continue to be safe and congrats on being promoted! I'm sure you're so happy! Haha well I guess I should pass this on since we're all writing. Keep safe Captain. _

_Havoc_

Havoc handed the letter to Breda to let him write.

_Is the food good there Captain? I mean better than the cafeteria food we have here? I always have wondered that. I'm glad you're not completely alone out there. Don't torture the men there. Oh and the Colonel is taking great care of the demon dog. He won't get it out of the office. You're going to have to punish him later. We are hoping you're safe everyday._

_Breda_

Falman took the letter from Breda.

_Captain I hope that you are still safe since we received this two weeks after you wrote it. The Colonel is worried about you. Everyone can see it. So please return safe and sound. _

_Falman_

Fuery was up next.

_Are the people there really nice? The Colonel has told us only a little about when he was at war. I hope you're okay. If something was to happen to you, I'm sure the Colonel would lose it. We are keeping up with our work as best as we can and don't worry, the Colonel takes Hayate everywhere with him. Right now he is sitting in my lap. I believe he says hi. Be safe. _

_Fuery_

Roy took the letter and started writing.

_Hawkeye,_

_I really hope you are safe. I know it must be tough to be back in Ishval, but try to keep your head held high. The team misses you very much and so does your dog. We will keep up with our work, but you have to keep safe. I don't want to lose my most important subordinate. You really do deserve that promotion. You have worked too hard to get nothing. Keep your men in line. I know you can. I hope you get this letter soon. _

_Colonel Roy Mustang_

_P.S. Come back to me safe and in one piece Riza. _

Roy sealed the letter and handed it off to Havoc. He went to throw it in the mail box. "All right let's get back to work."

The team went straight to work with their Captain in their thoughts.

…**...**

Riza walked into camp far to tired to care about the people staring at her. Jake was right behind her along with the rest of her team. They had been assigned to stake out the enemies position. That had been three days ago. She had been awake most of the time seeing as the only other people who were able to stay awake were Jake and Tom. Her and Tom had started getting along more. The men had been out on the battlefield and saw what she meant by harsh. When she had arrived in Ishval she had ten men to train. Two had been killed on the battlefield. It had been rough on the others, but she was able to get them moving again. Riza went to her tent and laid down on her bunk. She heard someone drop something. Her bunk mate must be here. She looked over to the girl and saw her saluting with a smile.

"Hawkeye!"

"At ease." Riza said as she took in the girl. Riza was half asleep and didn't realize who the happy girl was.

"Captain there is a man staring at you."

Riza looked at the tent door and quickly stood up and saluted. "General Haruko sir!"

The General chuckled and walked in. "At ease Captain. You too Catalina."

Riza looked at the girl again. "Rebecca!"

"Riza! I can't believe you didn't recognize me."

"I've been busy."

"Yes you have. I came here to congratulate you on a successful mission." Haruko said. "You did well." He waved as he walked out of the tent. "Get some rest Captain."

"Rebecca...what are you doing here?"

"Well I was sent to fight. I'll be a sniper with you!"

"We just had two people die Becca...don't sound so happy."

"Sorry Ri."

"How long have you been here?"

"Just got here. How long have you been gone?"

"I was out on my mission for three days."

"Bummer."

"How is my team?"

"Fine. Havoc asked me to give you a letter. He was going to mail it, but then I told him I was being shipped out." Rebecca handed Riza the letter. "Maybe you should sit down. You look like the living dead."

Riza opened the letter and started reading. She was halfway through when she sat down. Her team would be okay. She could finally breathe. It had been weeks since she had sent the letter. She had thought it got lost. Riza sighed as she moved onto Roy's part. Rebecca had turned around and busied herself with cleaning her area. Riza set the letter down and leaned back on her bed.

'_Thank you Roy...I will keep my head up._' Riza allowed herself to sleep with a smile on her face. She would have to head back out into the war soon enough, but she was taking this small moment to relax. After all, she deserved it right?


	5. Trouble Arises

Riza awoke to Rebecca shaking her. She opened her eyes and looked at her friend. "What?"

"A guy named Jake says that it's time to move out."

"Shit..."

"Wow Ri...haven't heard stuff like that come out of your mouth since...never mind." Rebecca went and grabbed her gun. She didn't want to bring back memories from the first time Riza was in Ishval. Riza was already ready to go by the time Rebecca turned around.

'_She is fast._' She thought. Rebecca let Riza exit first. She saw the letter and sighed. She picked up the letter and put it under Riza's pillow. She then exited the tent and went to meet up with the other snipers.

"So where we going?"

"We need to take out the enemies snipers. We're splitting up into two groups. Jake you're in charge of the second group. Take Tom with you. Rebecca you're with me. The rest of you split up evenly. Jake you're going to have one more person than me. Let's get going. Be careful everyone."

"Yes sir!" Everyone snapped into sharp salutes and Rebecca smiled.

'_You really trained them well._'

…**...**

Havoc entered the office with another stack of paperwork. Everyone in the room groaned. They had been working all day.

"Here is the last of today's work."

"Finally."

"Yeah then we all get to go home and let our minds wander."

"Havoc...Rebecca will be fine."

"I know...I just hope she got to Hawkeye."

"I'm sure she did. Let's go out for drinks tonight."

"Fine but Breda you're buying."

"If it will stop your moping sure."

"Colonel care to join us?"

"I have other plans."

"Like what sir?"

"That's none of your concern."

"Okay..." Havoc sat down and started working.

Roy set his pen down and turned to look out the window.

'_Riza..._'

…**...**

"Riza."

"What is it Becca?"

"So tell me why you had to come here."

"Not now." Riza set her gun down and motioned for the other snipers to spread out. They set up and watched the enemy from their scopes. Riza spoke to Jake using her head set. She spoke into the mic.

"What are your positions?"

"We all have a target in sight."

"Wait till I say fire."

"Roger."

Riza turned to her team. "On my mark." Everyone got ready to fire. "Fire." Riza fired her gun and so did the rest of the snipers. She watched as, one by one, the guards fell. She hated killing. Just when she thought they were all clear, she heard footsteps running up the stairs. She quickly pulled out her pistols and pointed them at the stairs. Her men were panicking. This would be the first time that they were in a smaller group. Riza looked at Rebecca and saw that she had her gun out as well. The other three men had theirs out too. Riza stepped in front. One of the enemies burst up the stairs and she shot him.

"Jake can you hear me?!"

"Yes sir! What's going on!?"

"We have a problem. Get your team out safely."

"But.."

"Just go!"

"Yes Captain."

"We need to take them out. Get up and fight!" Another guy lunged at Rebecca and she shot him dead. Riza looked over the edge of the building and cussed under her breath. There were at least twenty men running towards them. They would never make it out in time. Riza grabbed her bag and pulled out a rope. This would have to do. She threw one end over the edge and held the other. "We're going down!" Rebecca turned to her and looked at her in disbelief.

"You're crazy!"

"It's our only chance. We would just waste ammo up here. Who's first?" She gave the rope to one of the men while she watched their backs. "Get going!" She fired another round into one of the enemies. Her men decided to go. One of them grabbed the rope and went down the side of the building. Once the other two saw that it was safe they went. Rebecca had the rope now and she waited for Riza.

"Let's go Riza!"

Riza ran out of ammo and ran to Rebecca. "You go first."

"Fine, but you better hurry."

"Stop them!" Both girls turned to see five men running towards them.

"No time Becca." Riza jumped over the edge with Rebecca behind her as the men started shooting. Riza felt one of the bullets hit her. She gasped and grabbed her side. They came crashing down by the team.

"Sir!"

"We need to go!"

"You've been hit!"

"Run!" Riza got her team going as the enemy chased after them. She could hear Jake yelling into her ear.

"Captain! What is going on!?"

She ignored Jake. She couldn't take much more. She wasn't able to protect so many people. She had no idea how Roy was capable of it. Rebecca was right by her.

"What now?"

"Follow me." Riza took in a deep breath and spoke to Jake. "Does Tom have a grenade?"

"Yes sir. Why?"

"Have him throw it at the enemy."

"What is your position sir?"

"Five miles north of camp."

"Got it. Just keep running straight."

"Handing out orders private?"

"Sorry Captain."

"We'll meet up soon." Riza led her team through the harsh desert. The enemy was still behind them, but it looked like they were trying to save ammunition since they weren't firing. She could see Jake and the others up ahead. It was a good thing too. She was starting to get dizzy from the blood loss. Tom stood up and threw the grenade. Riza watched as it flew through the air. It bounced off a rock and hurtled straight for Riza's group. "Run!" The last thing she saw before the explosion was the terrified expression on Jake's face. Everything went black after that.


	6. Burning

"_Colonel?" _

"_Lieutenant. I was worried about you." _

"_Sir? Where are we?" Riza asked weakly. Roy's smile faded as he stared right at Riza. _

"_Hawkeye. Do you remember what happened?"_

"_I was on a mission...we were running from the enemy."_

"_And do you know what happened after that?"_

"_A grenade...I had Tom throw a grenade at the enemy..."_

"_And it hit your group."_

"_What!? Where are they?!" _

"_Calm down."_

"_I was shot." Riza looked at where she had been shot. "It's gone?"_

"_None of this is real. We're in your mind." Roy said tiredly. _

"_How?"_

"_You have a lot on your mind. You think you can't handle being the leader."_

"_I've already had two deaths and a mission gone awry." _

"_Riza...you can do it. I know you must still feel bad about Ishval, but these men need you. I need you." _

"_Sir...?" _

_Roy's figure started to fade away and Riza struggled to breathe. "Roy!" _

…**...**

"She's coming to!" The voice didn't sound familiar to Riza.

"Hold her down...she is not going to be happy..." That was Rebecca. Always warning others about her mood.

"Hey Captain."

"Jake?"

"Yeah."

"What the hell happened?" Riza looked around. She was laying on some kind of a cot. She had to be in the infirmary. Riza tried to sit up. The doctor and Rebecca wouldn't let her.

"You're hurt pretty bad Ri."

"Huh?"

"The grenade blew up...shards of rock flew everywhere..."

Riza didn't understand why Rebecca was being so hesitant. She decided to look for herself. Lodged deep in her side was a big shard of rock. She also had a few shards in her legs and arm as well. She got lightheaded just looking at the damage. The pain was starting to come to her.

"I know it looks bad Ri..."

"How are the others?"

"We lost one...one other is in critical condition."

"How about the last guy and you?"

"Well he can't walk around. He will be sent home. Me? I'm fine...I just got a broken arm and a few shards in my back."

"Will you be sent back?"

"Hell no! I'm staying. I have my shooting arm still!"

Rebecca's cheerfulness made Riza smile.

"Riza? How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

"No you're not."

"We have to remove the rock." One of the doctors said.

"She will bleed to death if we're not quick."

"Sir! The camp is under enemy attack!"

"Shit!"

Riza looked up at Rebecca.

"Ri we can't..."

"It's the only way."

"What is she talking about?"

"She wants us to take out the rock...and burn the wound closed..."

"That may be our only choice."

"Are you serious?"

"Catalina our camp is under attack. If we don't do something now. She will die."

"Fine...but I'm not leaving your side."

Riza looked at the doctors. "Let's do this."

"All right Captain. This is going to hurt a lot." Riza prepared herself for the worst. Rebecca put a piece of cloth in Riza's mouth and held her hand. Riza gave one last smile to Rebecca. It said all that she was feeling.

"You're going to make it Riza Hawkeye. I'm not going back to that damn Mustang and telling him you died. You understand?"

Riza nodded her head as the doctors started pulling out the shard of rock. It felt like someone was ripping her apart. Her mind was filled with her own cries of pain. She could hear the gunfire outside. She thought of her men. So far three had died, one critically injured, and one more on his way home. Rebecca was injured. That left her five men who were unharmed.

'_I really am the worst leader._' She thought. The rock had been removed and she could feel her blood pouring out. One of the doctors came running to them with a wet cloth. He placed it over her eyes.

"We're going to seal it closed now." She felt the heat on her skin before the burning started.

'_I've been burned before...I can do this..._' Her teeth clenched on the cloth as she tried to hold back her screams. Doctors had begun to hold her down. Her tears were flowing. She couldn't hold back. Everyone could hear her cries. They could see her tears. They were finally able to see the great Riza Hawkeye broken. She held Rebecca's hand tighter. The burning seemed to go on forever. Finally one of the doctors said it was finished. They released their grip on her and removed the wet cloth. Rebecca took the cloth out of her mouth. She was too weak to move. Too weak to speak even. The doctors stared at her.

"Captain Hawkeye? Can you hear me?"

She looked at him tiredly. He knew she was still there. "You did good Captain."

"How is the fight going on outside?"

"Many are wounded, but looks like the enemy is pulling back. How is the Captain?" Jake asked worriedly.

"We still have a lot of work to do, but she will be fine. I'm thinking we will have to send her back to Central for surgery."

"No...I'm...staying." Riza said weakly.

"Riza you are so going back. Right now you need better medical care."

"I have...to...lead..."

"I will handle that until you return."

"Becca?"

"I can. You will be back before you know it."

"Fine." Riza said. She drifted off into the blackness that had been fighting her all day.

…**...**

"Sir I just got word that one of our camps in Ishval has been attacked."

"Which one Havoc?"

"Hawkeye and Catalina's camp sir."

Mustang turned in his chair quickly to look at Havoc. "Have you heard anything else?"

"Sir...her team ran into trouble on a mission. From what I heard...one died, and two are critical."

"Do we know who?"

"No sir."

"Damn!"

"I'm sure she is fine."

"Let's hope you're right Havoc. Let's hope."


	7. Waiting

A couple days later Riza was on her way to Central. Rebecca had made her go. Riza had made sure her team was alright before she left. It was hard leaving them behind, but she made a promise to return. She would not abandon them in the midst of war.

'_I'm going to see you soon Colonel...Roy.'_

…**...**

"Colonel! The injured have arrived!"

"All right Breda. Let's go see who came in." Roy stood up and walked out the door. His men were right behind him.

"Do you think the Lieu...I mean Captain is all right?" Fuery asked innocently. Havoc looked at him.

"It's Hawkeye we're talking about..."

"You're freaking out about Catalina."

"I am not!"

"Will you idiots shut up!?"

"Sorry Colonel..." Fuery said. They continued their walk out to their cars. Havoc drove them to the hospital. It was a quiet drive. They had no idea if their friends had been injured or not. Once they arrived at the hospital they immediately started the search for the wounded. They found some men standing down the hall and Roy went over to them.

"Do any of you know if any snipers were brought here?"

"Oh yes Colonel sir...two were brought here."

"Do you know their names?"

"I only know one. Captain Riza Hawkeye sir."

"How bad is she?"

"Pretty bad sir. She nearly died. They took her into surgery as soon as we got here."

"Thank you. That is all I needed to know." Roy walked away from the soldiers and headed to one of the nurses. He had his men wait in the waiting room for him.

"Excuse me can you give me any information on Captain Riza Hawkeye's condition?"

"Umm...we can't release that information."

"I'm her commanding officer, Colonel Roy Mustang."

"I guess I can...she came in with a serious injury to her side. It looks like whatever wound was there got burned closed. She is in surgery now and should be out within the hour."

"Will she be okay?"

"I'm not really a doctor. I'm sorry."

"No it's fine. Thank you for your help."

"I'll come get you when she can have visitors."

"Thank you." Roy walked back to the waiting room. His team all stood up to meet him.

"Well chief?"

"She got a serious injury that was burned closed. She should be out of surgery within the hour. For now we wait."

"Okay."

Roy sat down and stared at the clock. He hated waiting like this. What he wanted was to be with Riza and make sure she is okay.

'_Riza...what the hell happened out there?_' Roy closed his eyes and listened to the people around him. He could hear the other soldiers walking around complaining of the war. He also overheard someone talking about the snipers. He cocked his head to the side and listened. His men saw what he was doing and stopped what they were doing to listen as well.

"Can you believe it? Half the snipers are gone!"

"I know. At least they won't be acting all high and mighty now."

"Yeah that was getting annoying. Everyone loved them! I mean I can see why they love the girl...I would take her any day."

"She was in Ishval before."

"She is a monster. I never knew she loved war that much!" Both of the men started laughing and Roy stood up. His men were not going to stop him. These idiots deserved a punishment. Roy walked up to them. They both turned to him and saw his rank.

"Sir!"

"What is this I hear about Captain Hawkeye?"

"Uhhh..."

"Do you know who I am?"

"No sir."

"I'm Colonel Roy Mustang."

"The flame alchemist!?"

"Yes and you were just bad mouthing my best subordinate."

"Sorry sir! We didn't..." Roy grabbed the man by his collar and glared at him. The man trembled under his wrath. The other guy backed up. Havoc came up behind him.

"We don't allow trash to talk about our Captain."

"You have no idea how much she has saved your ass. She is in Ishval again because of her great aim. If there aren't snipers, you would be dead by now." Roy said flatly. Both of the soldiers were shaking from Mustang's team surrounding them. They could feel the anger coming from them.

"We're sorry...we won't do it again!"

"I know you won't because if I hear that you have said anything else...I'll turn you into ash." He let go of the man and walked back into the waiting room with the others in tow. He glanced at the clock again. Twenty minutes have passed so far. Havoc took a seat by Roy.

"Did you hear them when they said half of the snipers are gone?"

"Yeah."

"I want to know what happened."

"I do too Havoc, but right now I'm not going to push it on her. Something happened out there and we will find out in due time."

"I hope she will be okay."

"She will."

"How are you so certain?"

"Because she has orders."

"Orders sir?"

"Not to die." Roy saw a nurse coming and stood up to meet her. Havoc smiled.

'_Of course. Now I see why he is positive that she will make it. Hawkeye always follows orders._' Havoc sighed and watched his superior. It looked like Hawkeye was out of surgery and could have visitors. Roy had the team follow him to her room. Roy took a deep breath and then pushed the door open. He saw her lying on the bed. She was so pale. He slowly made his way to her side. Havoc and the others stood around her bed, but they gave Roy some space. Roy grabbed Riza's hand. He knew that his men would not say anything about him doing it. They all knew how he felt about Hawkeye. Riza scrunched her face up a little and Roy used his free hand to brush her hawks bangs out of her face. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. They could tell that she was still out of it. She finally stopped looking around and her eyes landed on Roy. A smile broke out on her face.

"Colonel?"


End file.
